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1200999

registered interest
date	08/06/2020
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	China and Hong Kong: Press Freedom
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government how they are using their Defend Media Freedom campaign to raise and address the curtailing of media freedom and attacks on journalists in China and Hong Kong; and what plans they have to introduce Magnitsky-like sanctions against those responsible for abuse of journalists in China and Hong Kong.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL5342
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>Media freedom is vital to open societies and journalists must be able to investigate and report without undue interference. We must oppose attempts by any state to restrict press freedom, silence debate, abuse journalists, or spread misinformation. We are monitoring individual cases of concern around the world, and we are working with international partners on how best to support media freedom, including raising our concerns where appropriate.</p><p>The UK has publicly raised the issue of media freedom in China, including priority cases such as the sentencing of citizen journalist and rights activist Huang Qi in 2019. British diplomats have attempted to attend trials of civilian journalists and rights activists in China to show support.</p><p>In Hong Kong, media freedom is guaranteed under the Joint Declaration and Basic Law. In our six-monthly reports to Parliament on Hong Kong, we have regularly highlighted the importance of freedom of the press and set out our views on specific incidents of concern. We did so in the most recent report on 11 June. We will continue to raise the need to uphold Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and rights and freedoms with the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities, as the Foreign Secretary did with State Councillor and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 8 June.</p><p>We have announced our intention to establish a UK autonomous Global Human Rights ('Magnitsky-style') sanctions regime. The regulations will come into force in the coming months. It is not appropriate to confirm who might be designated under the sanctions regime before the designations are in place. To do this could reduce the impact of the designations.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 18/06/2020 12:46:22 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1201000

registered interest
date	08/06/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Social Services: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the analysis published by the Local Government Association on 4 June that adult social care providers may face £6.6 billion in extra costs by the end of September as a result of COVID-19; and how they expect those costs to be met.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL5343
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>We recognise that COVID-19 is imposing significant pressures on the social care sector. We have now made £3.2 billion available to local authorities so they can address pressures on local services caused by the pandemic, including in adult social care.</p><p> </p><p>On 15 May we published details of an additional £600 million Infection Control Fund for Adult Social Care. This funding is to support adult social care providers in England reduce the rate of transmission in and between care homes and to support workforce resilience.</p><p> </p><p>This funding is part of the Government’s commitment to ensure the health and social care system have all the resources they need during the COVID-19 outbreak. The Government will continue to monitor pressures in the National Health Service and local government and will keep future funding under review.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 18/06/2020 11:18:34 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1201001

registered interest
date	08/06/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Care Homes: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement by Age UK that (1) some residents of care homes are being asked to pay more than £100 a week in extra fees to cover the costs of COVID-19, and (2) the inability of residents to meet these costs could precipitate closures of care homes leaving residents homeless.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL5344
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>When choosing to charge, a local authority must not charge more than the cost that it incurs in meeting the assessed needs of the person. A local authority must also regularly reassess a person’s ability to meet the cost of any charges to take account of any changes to their resources.</p><p>We know the social care sector is under pressure due to growing demand from both older people and those of working age. We are providing councils with a £1 billion grant for adults and children’s social care on top of maintaining £2.5 billion of existing social care grants for 2020/21. We have provided £3.2 billion to local authorities to help with COVID-19 pressures, and a £600 million Infection Control Fund for care homes, 75% of which must be distributed on a 'per bed' basis, including to social care providers with whom the local authority does not have existing contracts.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 18/06/2020 11:18:05 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1201002

registered interest
date	08/06/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Care Homes: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what steps they took in response to the information published by Public Health England in February advising that (1) people should not be discharged from hospitals into care homes if there was risk of COVID-19 transmission, (2) it was not safe to discharge untested individuals to care homes from hospitals where there was between five and 25 cases, and (3) there should be no discharges to care or residential homes.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL5345
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>The scenario set out in Public Health England’s (PHE) National Infection Service document, issued on 24 February, related to hospital-acquired COVID-19 outbreaks during the containment phase of COVID-19, prior to 12 March, when there was no sustained community transmission in the United Kingdom. There was no evidence of recorded cases of hospital-acquired COVID-19 outbreaks during the COVID-19 containment phase and before 19 March when the COVID-19 hospital discharge service requirements were published.</p><p>On 12 March the Government announced that we were moving our COVID-19 response from the ‘contain’ to ‘delay’ phase. On 13 March PHE published new guidance to care homes. We subsequently published the COVID-19 hospital discharge service requirements on 19 March.</p><p>Since the start of the outbreak we have been working closely with the sector and public health experts to ensure we have the right guidance and support in place for care homes.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 18/06/2020 11:21:39 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1201003

registered interest
date	08/06/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Care Homes: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish their response to the letters sent by the National Care Forum on (1) 26 March, and (2) 10 April which (a) stated that care homes were “being pressured into taking hospital discharge patients who had not been tested for the virus, even though they were exhibiting symptoms”, and (b) called for discharged patients to be tested or risk litigation over the “avoidable deaths” of residents who subsequently became infected.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL5346
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>The Department does not have record of the correspondence from the National Care Forum.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 22/06/2020 10:42:21 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1201004

registered interest
date	08/06/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Care Homes: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the letter sent to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care by Cathy Gardner questioning the legality of discharging patients with COVID-19 into care homes, including the one in which her father died on 3 April, and calling for a retraction of the statement that a “protective ring had been thrown around care homes”; when they intend to respond; and what advice they have (1) sought, and (2) been given, by Government law officers in response to that correspondence.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL5347
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government does not comment on litigation matters.</p><p>Every death from this virus is a tragedy. It is our priority to ensure that everyone is discharged safely from hospital and to the most appropriate available place. Patients are discharged when it is clinically safe and they no longer need acute care.</p><p>We have provided extensive support and guidance to care homes throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We have also provided local authorities with £3.2 billion to help them deal with the impacts of COVID-19, as well as £1.3 billion via the National Health Service to enhance the NHS discharge process. On 13 May, we announced an additional new £600 million Infection Control Fund for care homes to tackle the spread of COVID-19.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 18/06/2020 11:18:54 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1201045

registered interest
date	08/06/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Coronavirus: Death
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that people with COVID-19 have died alone and been left for up to two weeks before being discovered; and what steps they are taking to ensure that isolated people without family or other support systems can be better (1) safeguarded, and (2) supported, during the COVID-19 pandemic. [T]
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL5348
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2020 answer text <p>We recognise how difficult the past months have been for people who are socially isolated and any death is a tragedy.</p><p>Local safeguarding partnerships have been ensuring that people with care and support needs are being safeguarded throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, including working with the shielding population to ensure they are well-supported. We are also aware of good practice through community-led social work and support networks which have ensured people stay connected and any concerns or support needs are identified more quickly.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 06/07/2020 11:23:59 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1200264

registered interest
date	03/06/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Social Services
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the remarks of the President of the Association of Directors of Social Services, that the recently published minutes of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies appear "to reinforce the impression that social care has been an afterthought – a secondary consideration after the NHS" and that "this cannot continue".
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL5150
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2020 answer text <p>Throughout this pandemic, we have been determined to give both the National Health Service and social care everything they need to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p>In February 2020, the first guidance for the social care sector was published. In March, we announced £1.6 billion funding for local government and £1.3 billion to go to the NHS and social care for discharge support. In April, we announced a further £1.6 billion for local government and our COVID-19: Our Action Plan for Adult Social Care. A copy of the Action Plan is attached.</p><p>On 15 May, the Government published the Care Home Support package and an additional £600 million Adult Social Care Infection Control Fund. This represents the next phase of our response for care homes.</p><p>We continue to work tirelessly with the care sector and public health experts to explore all measures possible to reduce transmission and save lives.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 24/06/2020 10:28:12 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell attachment 1 file name covid-19-adult-social-care-action-plan.pdf title Adult Social Care Action Plan
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1200265

registered interest
date	03/06/2020
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Hong Kong: Human Rights
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 2 June (HL Deb, cols 1291–5), what plans they have to give further consideration to the proposal of seven former Foreign Secretaries, calling for the establishment of an international contact group on Hong Kong and the proposal of Lord Patten of Barnes for the appointment of UN human rights coordinators to monitor human rights and breaches of the Joint Sino-British Declaration in Hong Kong.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL5151
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2020 answer text <p>The Foreign Secretary is engaging actively with a range of international partners to explain our position and impress on them the gravity of situation. We want to build up a groundswell of those who share our commitment to international law. We believe that is the most effective means of getting China to live up to its obligations and responsibilities as a leading member of the international community. We will also work within international institutions such as the UN Human Rights Council to ensure that China upholds the commitments they made as co-signatory to the Joint Declaration. The UK and the US raised the issue at the UN Security Council on 28 May.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 15/06/2020 13:11:46 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1200314

registered interest
date	03/06/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Care Homes: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government whether patients were discharged to care homes by NHS hospitals in the 30 days before ministers introduced routine COVID-19 testing; if so, why; and what assessment was made of the preparedness of the social care sector for the arrival of such patients.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL5152
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>It has always been our priority to ensure that everyone is discharged safely from hospital and to the most appropriate available place. On 19 March we published the <em>COVID-19 Hospital Discharge Service Requirements</em> to support the safe and rapid discharge of patients who no longer need acute care. This specified that, wherever possible, people who are clinically ready should be supported to return to their place of residence (this could be a care home), where assessment of longer-term needs will take place. This follows the ‘Discharge to Assess’ model. Where a patient had been tested for COVID-19, we specified that results – whether negative or positive – should be included in a patient’s discharge documents.</p><p> </p><p>To support the sector, this guidance also sets out the steps that care providers should be taking, and we provided £1.3 billion to support the process. We have provided advice to care homes throughout the pandemic in response to the latest conditions and emerging evidence and data.</p><p> </p><p>On 2 April we published our <em>Admission and Care of Residents during COVID-19 Incident in a Care Home</em> guidance. This set out further advice on infection control procedures for care homes e.g. limiting visits to essential visits only unless exceptional circumstances and providing advice on isolation, decontamination, cleaning and protective measures for staff. We recommended that all symptomatic residents in care homes should be immediately isolated for 14 days from the onset of symptoms, including patients discharged from hospital.</p><p> </p><p>On 15 April we published our Adult Social Care Plan which included a commitment to all patients being tested prior to discharge to a care home. A copy of <em>COVID-19: Our Action Plan for Adult Social Care </em>is attached.</p><p> </p><p>Copies of the <em>COVID-19 Hospital Discharge Service Requirements</em> and <em>Admission and Care of Residents during COVID-19 Incident in a Care Home</em> are attached.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell attachment 1 file name COVID-19_hospital_discharge_service_requirements.pdf title Hospital Discharge Service Requirements 2 file name admission-and-care-of-residents-during-covid-19-incident-in-a-care-home.pdf title Admission and Care of Residents during COVID-19 3 file name covid-19-adult-social-care-action-plan.pdf title Action Plan for Adult Social Care question first answered 18/06/2020 11:21:02 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool